The Chateau – Catherine Cooper

Aura and Nick have bought a chateau in France, it needs a lot of work but then so it seems does their marriage. They have to stay together because of the children. And they don’t ever mention what happened in England.

The community they move to has many expats and they are welcomed into this community. But one of the parties seems rather more than Aura and Nick bargained for.

Then the next party a dead body is found.

Nothing is as it seems and can anyone be trusted?

But then can Aura and Nick be trusted? What really happened in England and will that have any bearing on what seems to be going on in this French Chateau.

With plenty of twists and turns and the events in England you start to from your own opinion about this married couple until the inevitable happens?

Can you find the truth?

For me this was a fast paced, page turner which whizzed backwards and forwards from events in France and whatever happened to add the background of England. I despised the characters but that doesn’t mean I disliked the book. The skill in creating and writing people who you cannot bring yourself to like but still need to know more about is not easy. It can go two ways, readers sometimes don’t like it. For me I loved it.

A good second book and I would love to see what this author comes up with next as she definitely has the skill of hooking you in to a plot and some great characters.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Chateau is out now

Autumn Dreams at Mermaids Point – Sarah Bennett

Nerissa Morgan, forty three and spinster of Mermaids Point. Her true love, her soul mate died many years previous before their lives had really begun. Nerissa has never really moved on it seems.

She is simple waking up and existing each day as the receptionist and live in housekeeper at Mermaids Point Doctors surgery. She doesn’t even need to go far, she has accommodation there as well. Her world is very small.

With the Doctor retiring, Nerissa needs to except the fact that everything is going to change. However she did not bargain for the handsome Tom Nelson to arrive into her life and her life getting much bigger.

Dr Tom Nelson has lost his wife, he threw himself into his work as a GP in London and neglected not just himself but also his two children, who were grieving for their mum. When an incident at school leads to some honest truths, Tom decides it is time to take a break. That break he decides will be a Mermaids Point.

Will it be for a week? Or will the magic of the place, the community and the possibility of his own mermaid in Nerissa, mean that the week will last a lot longer.

This is the second in the series of books set in Mermaids Point. Of course if you come to this book first, you will still find yourself drawn into the place and the wonderful characters that make up the Morgan family, which include Nerissa. It is great to see a woman of a certain age being the main protagonist in this story.

It was also lovely to still see plenty of the characters from the first book and that they were fully involved in the story and not just names mentioned as reference points like you can get in some series of novels. I always think this is what makes Sarah Bennett’s books stand out from some I read.

This is a lovely book of second chances, hope and how the sea can frighten and heal in equal measure and just maybe some dreams can come true, even if you have to wait a while for them! I could not help but fall in love with Mermaids Point and the Morgan family all over again with this book.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Autumn Dreams at Mermaids Point is published today.

The Man Who Died Twice – Richard Osman

Harnessing on the success of the author’s first novel, comes the second one and the characters are eager to continue their Thursday Murder Club, that it is simply the following Thursday.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are reconvened in the Jigsaw Room and the next case seems to relate to Elizabeth and all seems a bit too close to home.

Elizabeth gets a letter from her past – and it turns out her past is ex-husband, Douglas and he has turned up at Cooper’s Chase. He needs help with a few sparkly stones. And it seems lessons of Elizabeth and Douglas’s past are going to be needed to crack this particular case.

Meanwhile Ibrahim, the quieter of the four, is mugged for his phone and suddenly the world gets smaller for him, How can he possibly help when he can’t leave his home? Enter Chris and Donna, the Fairhaven police who are determined to get the young lad, Ryan for what he did to Ibrahim.

Add in some mafia, a local drug baron, a money launderer and the promise of twenty million pounds and you have a book which twist and turns as the pages do.

Throughout the book we are treated to Joyce’s journal entries as she not only giver take on events but other miscellany that seem to enter her head in stream of conscious. This is wonderfully insightful and funny and Joyce comes across as one of those dotty old ladies who knows exactly what is happening! Her and Elizabeth make a great team.

What I did like was the introduction of Ron’s grandson, Kendrick who brings that juxtaposition between the old and the young and his work with Ibrahim was key into finding out the truth with one of the plotlines. I hope we get to see more of this.

For the supposed notorious difficult second book, this was better than the first, in my opinion. Tightly potted, wonderfully engaging and had me hooked right to the end. The right about of gruesomeness and humour.

A quintessential British crime novel, with quintessential British references which the whole world is clearly loving. No pressure Richard Osman, but more please.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Man Who Died Twice is out now.

Running out of Road – Cath Staincliffe

Three different people. Not connected until today.

Scarlett; on her way home to her Nana who has looked after her since the death of her mother. Excited to be in the school show the following day. Dancing brings her so much joy.

Dylan; always trying to keep one step ahead, never staying in the same nest for long, picking off each victim and dealing the drugs and then moving on. One day he will make it and not be the one doing all the work. Aim big.

Ron; being a house sitter and pet sitter by default seems really a lot easier to handle than real humans. From his previous job as a firefighter, this is much more pleasant.

DS Laura O’Neil, a mother with a teething toddler who has left him at home with his father as she suddenly gets to know all these people.

All these people that are thrown together and for one wet, stormy and panicky night all their roads cross. As they all take different turnings, will Laura get to the truth?

This fast paced thriller left me exhausted without leaving my home. Whether it was the vast swathes of the Peak District that was covered physically as the hunt for all three of them takes over the pages of the book. Or the historic events that build up the characters of the here and now. The country line drug storyline was strong and frightening real as if you are reading a news reports. You have to remember the main events are just a mere twenty four hours. The skill of the writing made it feel like a week of my life.

If you want a great British thriller which covers many themes including guilt and grief and the overarching hope of a better future then this is simply the book for you. Highly recommend for a heart stopping read to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Running out of Road is out now.

The Heron’s Cry – Ann Cleeves

This is the second novel in the Matthew Venn series from renowned author.

Can be read without having read the first, The Long Call but then why deprive yourself of such good storytelling. You will also get the background of the characters and the previous case which through witnesses does filter into this story.

DI Matthew Venn, uptight and determined to maintain a level response to what he sees in his work is back alongside his DS Jen Rafferty and ever eager DC Ross May. Jen is at a party when another guest, Dr Nigel Yeo approaches her to ask for her help. Jen, not fully sober, brushes him off.

The next day that man is found dead, stabbed with a piece of glass from his daughters glass blowing workshop. He seems such an unlikely victim and when his daughter turns out to be a friend of Matthew’s husband Jonathan, it seems this crime is always going to involve that Matthew knows.

When another body turns up, with a similar killing method. Matthew and his team dig deeper into these people and what Dr Nigel Yeo really wanted to tell Jen at that party. However the truth is sometimes hidden away amongst those in the community and are they all closing ranks as the police get to the truth.

This book is not a fast paced thriller, if that is what you are looking for then this is not the book for you. It is a book which develops as you turn the pages, the characters and their background build. The past is filled in and as the clues lead you to think that perhaps the answer is all so clear, the metaphorical rug is pulled out and you are turned to face the truth. Of course it was obvious – wasn’t it?

More is filled in about Matthew and the past life he has escaped as he tries to come to terms with the life he is leading now. We learn more about Ross May and his relationship with his wife. Jen is still coming to terms with living in a smaller town than the large city she left behind. All three of them seem unlikely work colleagues but somehow it works and the author uses the small team, the community, the setting to weave a great murder mystery tale.

If you want modern day crime fiction in the vein of those golden ages then always start with Ann Cleeves and you will enjoy every page, every book and every detective created.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Heron’s Cry is out now

Orphans of the Storm – Celia Imrie

Marcella married young, swept away by Michael a man who has ambitions to be the best tailor in Nice, South of France. However the romance has gone and Marcella is left with a jealous husband who wishes to control and bully.

Marcella makes the momentous decision that she needs to leave this man for the sake of herself and her two young boys. Divorce is not going to be easy, it is 1911 and the French courts need to decide whether this will go ahead and what happens to the two young boys.

Margaret has been touring around Europe with friends, but she is bored and wishes to return to her home in America. When the chance to travel home in style on the RMS Titanic, Margaret makes the fatal choice.

How can these different lives cross? It is inevitable that they will, but perhaps not in the circumstances that everyone thinks. When you begin a book which clearly features one of the most famous ships in history, there is an inevitably about it – prior knowledge means you known what happens on that fateful night in April 1912. Interestingly the event doesn’t happen until well into the last third of the book – a sense of trepidation is built as the story of Michael and Marcella is built upon.

The introduction of Margaret, becomes clearer as the book goes on and as readers we are swept under the sea as everyone’s worlds change.

Whilst slow at points, I did wonder where and how this book was going to culminate and I was so intrigued by the characters that were created. I was completely surprised by the fact that whilst this story was fiction – every person and experience was based on real people and real events. The information and research given at the end of the book is fascinating and brought more to the story than if it had been pure fiction.

Very different to previous novels and I noticed that the author has had some assistance in research which is fine, but made me doubt as to how much was really the author. That though is probably my fussiness and for fans of historical fiction this definitely a book that is worth a read.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Orphans of the Storm is out now.

The Rose Garden – Tracy Rees

Wake up and smell the roses world, because women are no longer going to capitulate, they will branch out on their own. Making friendships and decisions that will shock the society of 1895 when this book is set, steeped in Victorian values. The author takes us to the past as much as the present.

1895, London, Hampstead. Olive’s life is full of privilege, she knows how lucky she is, but she craves to have a child. A difficulty when unmarried in 1895. However that does not stop head strong Olive and her sense of philanthropy leading her to an orphanage.

Mabs, has become the matriarch of the household after her mother dies, with younger siblings and a grieving father, she works on the canals, disguised as a young boy. It is some of the most dangerous work. An opportunity though takes to her to Hampstead, to be a companion of Mrs Finch.

Young Ottilie Finch, is only twelve and along with her family, they are newly arrived from Durham. For reasons we do not know but are of some intrigue. Ottillie wants to explore this new territory and finds herself meeting some very different people and cannot understand others abuse about the friendships she wants to build.

Women and girls, who are all on different paths in life, but through the magic of storytelling all come together and their worlds mix and collide. What you think of perhaps as modern day problems; racism; domestic abuse and sexism is played out in this historical context and was at times upsetting but also heartening to know that we have progressed from having to dress up as males to seek work.

This book wanted me to cheer out loud for these female characters who were facing society head on. It had me hooked as I knew it would from this author and I felt bereft when it ended as I wanted to know more about these wonderful women and what happens next in their story.

Simply engrossing and one of my favourite reads of 2021.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Rose Garden is out now.

August Roundup

If you have been following this blog for a while, you will probably know that August is a bumper month when it comes to reading and this August was seemingly no different.

Despite buying more books (as if I need them!) I was trying to make a more concerted effort to read from shelves and so that is how I came to pick up Jane Healey – The Animals at Lockwood Manor which had been languishing for a while. It was a rather strange book, with a gothic twist set during the war, but I have feeling these types of books never really feel like that with me. It was a pleasant enough diversion and made room on the shelf for my purchases.

A book of the year and one that all fans of reading and books must read is this debut Sara Nisha Adams – The Reading List. A book about all those books that have helped us in the past and continue to do so in the present and the future. The story weaved around such classics as Little Women and Rebecca was really impactful and I felt I had a glimpse into another life for a while.

Glimpsing into another life with Mel Giedroyc – The Best Things was like watching a car crash in slow motion, except this was not a car crash but a financial one. As a family disintegrates in front of our eyes, we see how that money is not the answer to all our happiness. I will be intrigued as to what this author produces next. I sensed a lot of research and experience in this book that others might not necessarily have brought to such a novel.

Research is the key to all historical fiction and it was clear that in Celia Imrie – Orphans of the Storm had an abundance of it. I knew nothing of the real people fictionalised into the book. I knew from the setting of the book and the time period where we would be going with it, but that it was all true was a surprise. I was most grateful to have read this on my kindle which meant that I could not easily flick to the back where all the ‘research’ and ;’real life’ notes were covered. It really would have spoilt the book for me.

I do love my history and when it becomes relatively local to me in setting then I always take bit more of an interest. Tracy Chevalier – A Single Thread was featured heavily on local news when the hardback version was published, but I waited until the paperback copy before I indulged in this glorious tale of Embroiderers’, Winchester Cathedral and the possibilities of being a single woman so soon after the First World War. I have never read any Chevalier before and of course I have heard of her most famous novel The Girl with the Pearl Earring but for some reason have never picked it up. Next time I am in a bookshop…..

Now it looks like August was the month of Catherine’s or Cath’s. First up is Cath Staincliffe – Running out of Road; her latest novel combines three unrelated people caught up in a very modern story, that you could have been reading a news report. You will have felt you have run more than one road when you get to the end. Catherine Cooper – The Chateau is another book which kept me hooked and turning the page until I could begin to make sense of the characters portrayed and they had all ended up in France in this Chateau.

And to have a bit of a rest from all that thrilling adventure it was a pure joy to pick up Cathy Bramley – A Patchwork Family. These are the sorts of books I buy without even reading the blurb on the back and just dive straight in and become immersed in the story. It was beautiful and had me quietly weeping as the joy of brining all generations together to thrive really worked.

Another author I have no doubt about diving straight into is Trisha Ashley – One More Christmas at the Castle and this is her latest. A Christmas novel in August always seems an alien concept but I don’t care the world has been topsy-turvy enough of late to worry about such things. This is a delightful book and I adored it and any fan of Trisha Ashley will too.

Whilst I only have one of Trisha Ashley’s back catalogue to read, I do still have a few more of Caroline Roberts – The Seaside Cocktail Campervan to catch up on. But in the meantime in her latest I was transported to parties, festivals and markets to partake of a cocktail and a pizza or two and to fall in love with the main characters. I do hope we get to see more of them in future novels.

I am up to date with the wonderful Tracy Rees – The Rose Garden and her latest historical offering which brought the plight of various different females, of various different creeds and classes in London near the turn of the twentieth century. How far and how little the position of women has perhaps come in those intervening years. I am now looking forward to coming back to the present with Tracy Rees more contemporary offering for Christmas.

And as the month closes I return to Ann Cleeves and her new detective, Matthew Venn. Ann Cleeves – The Heron’s Cry. A classic piece of writing from this author, in the vein of all her others but with the background of North Devon and the tense conscious of a detective with a methodical clam presence which covers the guilt he seems to carry with him.

The Christmas books are now appearing alarming regularity so I can see how the next couple of months are going to be spent. Hopefully punctuated by some other great reads too. Do keep reading to find out more.